Ovechkin Announces That the 2026-27 Season Will Be His Last in the NHL

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin announced on Monday that the 2026-27 NHL season will be the last of his career. The news, first reported by the AFP news agency, was confirmed by the club itself on its official website as the new North American season gets under way.

At 41, Ovechkin leaves the ice with a status no other player has ever held: he is the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, with 929 goals since his debut. His farewell will turn every game of this campaign into an event fans will want to witness in person.

The announcement comes as the season opens, with rinks across North America and Europe in full swing. For more than two decades, Ovechkin has been one of the figures who drew the biggest crowds to hockey and ice skating, and his farewell tour will multiply that attention in every city he visits.

Phenomena like this have a direct effect on the ice business: when a star bows out, local hockey rinks, events and recreational facilities see surges in ticket demand and public skating. For event organizers, municipalities and sports facilities, a season like this one is a window to schedule more ice time.

At Napapiri, a manufacturer of real-ice rinks since 1993, we follow everything that moves the world of ice sports. If this announcement inspires you to consider a rink of your own — rental, purchase or leasing — we answer every enquiry with a quotation within 24 hours at napapiri.com.

Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Archive photo (Ovechkin in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on 25 February 2026); it does not show the retirement announcement. Source: AFP.